Western Sichuan and Yangtze River

Welcome to Chengdu, the land of abundance, with the elegance of Chinese history and culture and the unique characteristics of local folk culture, a city you never want to leave. Our guide will meet you at the airport and drive to the hotel. After checking in, you can move freely to relax. Then in the evening, you will have a special alley food tour by tricycle. 

Meal: No

Altitude: 500m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Chengdu

Today we will drive from the hotel to the core area outside Mt. Qingcheng. Take a light hike in the natural mountain steam, enjoying the steam and green vegetation on the way, feeling the exclusive and non-commercial clean environment. After arriving, take a short rest, then try to cook the ancient food of Qingcheng flavor with the Taoist temple master. Enjoy the excellent ancient food “Tofu Pudding by Mountain Spring Water”, “Stewed Chicken with Ginkgo” and other special dishes of Qingcheng Taoist Temple, which cooked by the natural recipes that have been passed down for a long time. Then the Taoist Temple master will personally teach you a set of Qingcheng Tai Chi for health. In the afternoon, drive to a secret treasure place in the back mountain of Qingcheng, enjoy the exquisite dessert and afternoon tea by the mountain stream, experience the beauty of natural scenery and quiet Qingcheng customs. After that, head to the hotel to check in.

Meal: B

Altitude: 600m

Traffic: Car, 60kms, 1hr

Hotel: In Chengdu

Drive from Mt. Qingcheng to Mt. Siguniang, passing through Yinxiu town and Wolong distinct on the way. Located on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Mt. Siguniang Scenic Area is a World Heritage site, known as the “Eastern Alps”, its core sttractions are three valleys and four peaks. Mt. Siguniang is known as Sigura by Tibetans, which means the birthday god and the land god of the birth-place.

Our destination today is Changping Valley of Mt. Siguniang, which is the best place for primitive ecological tour and ethnic customs tour, with a excellent viewing platform facing directly of the four peaks. Stop-and-go along this way, no need to hurry, you can enjoy the beauty of lakes and streams, snow mountains and grasslands. After the tour, check in the hotel on Mt. Siguniang.

Meal: B

Altitude: 3200m

Traffic: Car, 150kms, 3hrs

Hotel: On Mt. Siguniang

We will arrive at the camp after breakfast and start our Glamping or you can have a leisurely walk in the mountains. After lunch in town, head to the Jiaju Tibetan Village in Danba. Euthusiastic locals will present Hada to you of honor. Then we will visit old artists and learn Mani stone painting, meanwhile, learn to make butter tea and other special activities in Tibet. In the evening, enjoy the special poolside Guozhuang Dance Dinner. Jiaju, a Tibetan village, ranks first among the “most beautiful villages in China”. Jiaju means one hundred families in Tibetan. Red, white and brown Tibetan stone buildings, along the bank of the Dadu River, scattered on the steep hillside at the foot of the snow mountain, constitute a charming art scroll.

Meal: B

Altitude:2000m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Jiaju Tibetan Village

Today’s hiking tour starts from Jiaju to Dangling. There are not only mountains and streams, but also the lovely prairie dogs along the way there. A layer of white fog rise between the mountains, and a group of Tibetan houses scattered halfway up the mountain. Ochre red, golden, pure white houses standing in the green mountains, which likes a fine oil painting. Enjoy the lakeside scenery, rest in the pristine environment of western Sichuan, then hike back to Dangling Village and return to Jiaju.

Meal: B

Altitude: 2000m

Traffic: Car, 66kms, 1.5hrs

Hotel: In Jiaju 

In the early morning, accompanied by local Tibetans, we will go to the White Pagoda to experience the blessing ceremony and tour the Tibetan village, then drive to Moshi Park. There is a little-known “Small Seda” village behind the depths of the Tagong Temple. We will visit the daily life of the villagers in the circumanbulate and the Kyaw Mu Temple, experience the pure Tibetan culture and some less well-known attractions. Arrive in Yajiang in the late afternoon and check into the hotel.

Meal: B

Altitude: 2700m

Traffic: Car, 250kms, 5hrs

Hotel: In Yajiang

Start from Yajiang, head to Batang County, and after lunch at Litang, visit Changqingkol Temple, the first Gelug (Shamanism) temple in Kham Tibetan areas. In the afternoon, we go to Batang, the hometown of Xianzi Dance. Here, we make preparations for tomorrow’s going to Cuopu Ditch. The scenery from Xindu Bridge Town to Litang is superb, which is a good opportunity to take a road trip and shoot some pictures. In Litang, we can have a deeper understanding of Tsangyang Gyatso by visiting the Thousand-household Tibetan Village (Letong Ancient Town).

Meal: B

Altitude: 3000m

Traffic: Car, 160kms, 5hrs

Hotel: In Litang

Cuopu Ditch Natural Ecological Reserve is located in Zora District, north of Batang County, Haizi Mountain, Ganzi Prefecture, western Sichuan. It starts from Maoyaba to Litang County in the east, reaches the Asu mountain with an altitude of 4,860 meters in the west, and runs from Lieyi and Shaxi townships to Zhajinjiabo Sacred Mountain and Baiyu County in the south, covering an area of 900 square kilometers. Beautiful sceneries in Tibetan areas in western Sichuan including snow-capped mountains, grasslands and forests can be appreciated there. After the tour, drive to Shangri-La Town to stay and rest.

Meal: B

Altitude: 2800m

Traffic: Car, 350kms, 6hrs

Hotel: In Shangri-La Town

Head to Yading Scenic Spot after breakfast. Take a sightseeing bus through Yading Village and arrive at Zha Guan Bong. Then hike to Chonggu Temple, it is the starting point of the local Tibetan people’s mountain transfer ceremony. “Chonggu” means to fill the lake to build a temple, or a temple on the lake in Tibetan. Any tourists or novice photographer may be able to take nearly professional-quality photos here. You can continue hiking to the sacred lake Pearl Sea, Tibetan name “Zhuomalatso”, under the Sacred Mountain of Senai Ri, surrounded by forests. According to legend, the Pearl Sea is the soul lake of White Tara and is recognized as the best place to photograph the reflection of Mt. Senai Ri.

Meal: B

Altitude: 3000m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Yading

In the morning we take another 3-to-4-hours tour of Yading. Then, head to Xindu Bridge Town after lunch. Xindu Bridge Town is a small town in the west of Kangding County, 81 kilometers away from the county, also known as East Russia. As we all know, Xindu Bridge Town is known as “photographer’s paradise”. Its beauty lies not in the town itself, but in the 10-kilometer scenic corridor out of the town. It is the fork of Sichuan-Tibet North-South Line, connecting with Tagong and Danba in the north, Gongga Mountain in the south, Litang in the west, is the only place where G318 of Sichuan-Tibet Southern Line must pass through.

Meal: B

Altitude: 3450m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Xindu Bridge Town

At Xindu Bridge town, the paradise of photography, we slow down to experience the wonders of nature. Then deep into the hinterland, arriving at the Lotus Lake Scenic Spot (Moon Lake). This is an outdoor mirror lake hidden deep in the mountains, with silent forests and turquoise lakes, backed by snow mountains. Various kinds of lotus flowers bloom in the proper season, hence its name. Due to the limited conditions, a unique forest picnic will be arranged there. After entering the scenic area, hike and photograph, then drive back to Xindu Bridge Town.

Meal: B

Altitude: 3450m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Xindu Bridge Town

Depart from Xindu Bridge Town, follow the beautiful landscape avenue all the way east, and arrive at Kangding City. Move to Mugecuo Scenic Spot for sightseeing after lunch. It is located in the transition zone between the western margin mountains of Sichuan Basin and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. With plateau lakes, primitive forests, hot springs, snow peaks, strange mountains and rocks, as well as eight kilometers of thousands of waterfalls gorge, constitute a beautiful and colorful landscape. After visiting, drive to Kangding and overnight there.

Meal: B

Altitude: 2560m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: Kangding

Enjoy your delicious breakfast and have a short rest. Kangding area is the throat of Sichuan and Tibet, the important town of the ancient Tea Horse Road, and the intersection center of Tibetan and Han. It is an important historical and cultural city in western China. Drive about 4 hours along the highway from Kangding to Chengdu, you can enjoy the complex and diverse terrain and climate of Kangding area, and the unique Tibetan scenery. After arriving, check into the hotel and enjoy your leisure time in Chengdu, make preparation for tomorrow’s cruise.

Meal: B

Altitude: 500m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Chengdu

Take the train to Yichang, the start point of the Yangtze River cruise tour. The route for this cruise along the Three gorges of the Yangtze River is upstream from Yichang to Chongqing. The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River is the general name of the three gorges of Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge. Both sides are steep and continuous mountains and cliffs with amazing scenery, generally about 700-800 meters above the river. The narrowest part of the river is about 100 meters. With the construction of the massive Three Gorges Water Project, it has become a world-famous tourist hot line.

Meal: B

Altitude: m

Traffic: Train, Cruise

Hotel: No

Our first destination today is the Three Gorges Dam. The area controls an area of about 1 million square kilometers, built in 1994, it integrates flood control, power generation, shipping and water resources utilization, it is the main project of the Three Gorges hydropower station, the core landscape of the Three Gorges Dam tourist area, and one of the largest hydro-junction buildings in the world.

Meal: B

Altitude: m

Traffic: Cruise

Hotel: No

Today you will transfer to another boat to join the tour of the Shen-nv Stream, also known as “Beauty Stream” in local, is 15km long in total, but due to the rapid flow, and narrow course, including 10 km is the unexplored virgin valley.
The 60km-long Shennong Stream runs from south to north through deep mountain valleys in Badong County. Green hills and clear waters picturesque scenery with its steep cliffs and strange rocks, and its rivers lined with towering mountains. In addition, visit the Small Three Gorge, admire clear water, deep pools, waterfalls, plank paths, primitive boat, local customs of Tujia nationality, and stalagmite caves.

Meal: B

Altitude: m

Traffic: Cruise

Hotel: No

Today will be a full day journey. Our first stop is Shibaozhai, which was built during the Wanli period of the Ming dynasty and the scenic spot covers a total area of 54,000 square meters. Then head to explore Fengdu Ghost City, known for its extensive and profound ghost city culture, exquisite and weird sculptures, and magical and beautiful legends.

Next, we are going to Xiaoguanshan to experience traditional Chinese culture such as paper-cut. The distinctive ancient buildings here reproduce the historical features of Fengdu’s ancient dwellings, temples and city gates, and retain local historical memories. Afterwards, stroll around Mt. Shuang-gui, which has more than 100 species of trees on the mountain. The main scenic spots are Luming temple, Enlai pavilion, Liangyuan pavilion, He Long Pavilion, Confucius Temple and so on. 

Meal: B

Altitude: m

Traffic: Cruise

Hotel: No

Today our Yangtze River Cruise is about to an end. Say goodbye to Chongqing, we will drive you to the airport to catch your flight. Wish you have a pleasant journey home. Looking forward to seeing you in another China trip! 
*Reminder: boarding times and departure terminals vary according to water levels, weather,  and other factors.

Meal: B

Altitude: 238m

Traffic: Plane

Hotel: No